Fitting alloys to a ZX

Foxy · Post by **Foxy** » 06 May 2005, 06:54

Would be grateful if anyone could shed some light on fitting alloys onto my ZX WITH STANDARD 175 X 65 X 14" wheels. I have seen decent alloy wheels on ebay mainly off Peugeot 206 sports and Citroen saxo vtr's. The Peugeots have the same 175 x 65 x 14" tyre size as opposed to the citroens having 185 x 55 x 14" tyre sizes. Replies gratefully received!![?]

mezuk04 · Post by **mezuk04** » 06 May 2005, 11:59

I have the Citroen Saxo VTR's (i believe, Wilkobob can you confirm this), though i do believe the tyre is different but mine do fit however since having them on i experienced much vibration, overhauling the brakes in a couple of weeks so hopefully i have warped discs and the end to the vibrations...but just be prepared to spend about £50 on having them balanced (there more expensive with the saxo's as the garage need an adaptor) got that quote from about 5 garages around east midlands and up around Selby/Pontefract too

rashmore · Post by **rashmore** » 06 May 2005, 13:48

Standard Alloys on volcane are 185x60x R14. Make sure you add a little copper grease between contact points of wheel and hub, as mine have a tendancy to weld themselves together otherwise.....Friend has a saxo and says was a pain when first went to get wheels/tyres ref special tool required [:(]

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 06 May 2005, 15:11

Is the special tool a big hammer? Or do you just loosen the wheel bolts a bit and drive the car backwards and forwards slowly?
Does the "special tool" actually exist or is it just the dealer selling more mechanic time?
Having re-read the post above, the special tool is not for removing the wheels as I first thought, but the special spigot for the balancing machine to allow it to balance wheels with no central hole.

cornishbx16v · Post by **cornishbx16v** » 06 May 2005, 15:49

CITROEN
Model P.C.D. Offset C/Bore
AX, Saxo 3 x 098[/red ]9...15 58.0
Saxo(some models) 4 x 108 12...18 65.0
BX, ZX, Xantia, Xsara, Saxo 4 x 108 15...22 65.0
XM 5 x 108 35 65.0
Evasion [red]5 x 98 28...30 58.0
this may be what you are after????? appologies for the messy lay out! as long as the ofset of the wheel is correct fitment for the car then the wheels should fit no problems!!! the 4 stud mk1 saxo and 106 has the lesser offset rating of the wheels, you should find that most if not all 4 stud citroens or pugs share the same offsets!
as an example, i had 17's on my bx and i know of a guy who had 18's on his 16v zx.

bikeboyz · Post by **bikeboyz** » 06 May 2005, 16:17

I'm intreaged about this special tool too! The 504 wheels don't have a centre hole in them and that needs a special tool also, Peugeot rapid fit have one, but they are miles away. I would imagine Renaulte Minute would to (for R4)? Only found one local fitter with it, but don't think they were done right.

cornishbx16v · Post by **cornishbx16v** » 08 May 2005, 15:16

Foxy!
i have tried to reply to you through email from both my accounts and through the contact user button on here but none seem to work!! all i am getting are the error returned mail messages!!!
below is a copy of the email i tried to send minus the alloy wheel guide!
hi foxy, got your email matey, but am having difficaulty in sending my reply to you! i have tried from both my orange and freeserve but i have got mail delivery failures from both!!! i wanted tp send you the alloy wheel guide i use as it explains the offsett very well!!! basically the offsett is the difference between the centre line of the wheel and the blot face taken from a side view. a positive offset is when the bolt face is further towards the outer rim of the wheel and a negative offset is when the centre of the wheel is colser to the outer edge of the wheel!
to be honest i have no idea what you refer to as countercore readings so i wont try and blag it!!!
i hope that helps a bit!
kind regards,
timmo.

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 08 May 2005, 22:21

always thought the ZX looked good on these:

arry_b · Post by **arry_b** » 08 May 2005, 23:24

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by mezuk04

owever since having them on i experienced much vibration,<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Interesting this one, I've just fitted Volcane alloys to my (13 inch wheeled) ZX Avantage and experienced the same problem.
I tracked it down to where rust where the alloys bolt to the hubs.
With the old steel wheels fitted, the drums had developed rusty patches outside of the contact area. When the alloys were on, the contact patch was different and hence was sat on top of the rusty patch and not sitting squarely.
I cleaned the hubs up properly, and the vibration went away.
Worth checking, as it's a cost free fix.

Ross_K · Post by **Ross_K** » 05 Jun 2005, 01:32

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I've just acquired a set of 15" ZX 16v rims which I plan on fitting to a ZX 1.9D which has 175/65R14 tyres. Now I've worked out the tyre size I need for the 15" wheels using this calculator:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
It reckons that 185/55R15 tyres will keep things practically the same diameter-wise, so the speedo reading shouldn't be affected. Would I be right in thinking things be ok as regards clearance in the wheel well? Is there anything else I need to watch out for or be aware of?
I can testify to the wobbly wheel thing too BTW. Scrubbing the crap off the hub with a wire brush seem to do the trick...

mezuk04 · Post by **mezuk04** » 05 Jun 2005, 03:09

Just an update...got the brakes overhauled and the vibrations have certainly settled down a heck of a lot...the pads would have appeared to be put in wrongly and the wear was really uneven....cleaning the hubs sounds interesting......wont the 15" be a little too much for the rear wheel arches as the 14"'s are certainly enough in my view??? but if 15"'s work and dont effect rear driving so to speak i may be interested in upgrading an inch [:p]

gjb02 · Post by **gjb02** » 05 Jun 2005, 03:22

I used to have an Elation 1.9D a few years back...I put ZX 16v 15" alloys on with 195/50 15 tyres on.. They never rubbed, front or rear, and the speedo was near as dammit!!
I'm currently looking at a set of 16" ,195/50 16 tyres fitted, according to the calculators they are a minimal out for speedo accuracy.

Ross_K · Post by **Ross_K** » 05 Jun 2005, 05:26

Cheers for that gjb02 - I didn't think there would be any rubbing, but better safe than sorry. [:)] I suppose I'll go find some tyres now. Those Toyo Proxes seem to be the most affordable without going into the Nankang/Star/Goodride type stuff. No point splashing out on anything with a huge speed rating as this 1.9D would just about hit 100mph down a steep hill with the wind behind it... [:D] [:D]

gjb02 · Post by **gjb02** » 05 Jun 2005, 16:21

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ross_K

Cheers for that gjb02 - I didn't think there would be any rubbing, but better safe than sorry. [:)] I suppose I'll go find some tyres now. Those Toyo Proxes seem to be the most affordable without going into the Nankang/Star/Goodride type stuff. No point splashing out on anything with a huge speed rating as this 1.9D would just about hit 100mph down a steep hill with the wind behind it... [:D] [:D]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
The advantage of fitting 195/50 15's is that they are a very common size...and as such are cheaper.
Try www.mytyres.co.uk, all prices include vat and delivery. Then all you pay is for fitting and balancing.[8D]
Look at the reifentest.com scores, they might suprise you.
A 195/50 15 Matador??? scores better than a Pirelli P5000. (NB. Depends on tyre size!)
Don't always assume a brand name tyre is a good one!

Ross_K · Post by **Ross_K** » 05 Jun 2005, 18:37

Hey thats a good site - I know where I'll be getting my tyres now. Thanks again